I think it is fair to say we are all having our own unique challenges and struggles with lockdown. We never truly know what someone else is going through. What one person may find relatively easy, another may find extremely hard. It’s important to remember that this is not competition, we each have our own unique situations which bring about a unique combination of challenges. Having said that, there will be an overlap e.g. a lot of people will be struggling with loneliness, a lot of parents will be struggling with their kids, particularly single parents. A lot of people have never worked from home before and it’s completely alien to them. I have put together a few tips for reducing stress during lockdown below, which I hope will be of some use to you 🙂
Take the opportunity to do the exercise you are allowed to do. Make sure you get out of the house and walk for an hour (or whatever you can manage) close to your home. Getting that bit of fresh air is so important to your mental and physical health.
Get a good nights sleep, this is incredibly important for helping you cope with challenges that get launched your way during the day!
Be realistic about what you can achieve in a day! This is a big one, I am finding on a daily basis that I am having to push some of todays tasks onto tomorrow. It’s frustrating but I have come to accept that is how it is for the moment and it won’t last forever.
Regularly call and video call your family and friends, you need that regular social contact and so do they. Also chat and socialise on social media, remembering to be kind, everyone’s emotions are running high at the moment.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, you are trying to do something you have never done before. That could be work from home, care for your children 24/7 with zero help from family, home school your children, coping with limited or not contact with family and friends or pivoting your business in a bid to survive. You can only do you best, please remember that.
Try to develop a routine that works for all of your family. Accept that you may need to change and tweak this routine many times before it actually works for you!
If home schooling isn’t going to plan and your kids are really not motivated to do all the school work being sent home, then just focus on the basics. Encourage them to read a little each day, use a game like times table rock stars, play monopoly, colour and paint, talk about the books they are reading, learn to cook together. Keeping them learning in some way shape or form is more productive than continually battling with them to do the specific school projects being set.
If you have cats, try to create an area in the house that is quiet, make sure they can hide under a bed for a cosy sleep and escape the hustle and bustle of your busy house, they aren’t really used to having you all home 24/7 and you need to reduce their stress as well as yours.
If you have dogs, invest in some new toys and things like puzzle feeders to keep them entertained. They are likely used to having much more exercise time with you but now find themselves confined to the house and/or garden all the time and they will get bored and potentially destructive and it is not their fault. Animals don’t understand lockdown. It’s hard enough for us to understand and accpet, it’s 100 times harder for animals!
What are your tips for coping in lockdown? Feel free to leave a comment below so we can all benefit from each others tips 🙂